Not So Bad After All
by Pen-Always-In-Hand
Summary: Luke's P.O.V of what happened to him when he stabbed himself, and then when he's receiving Elysium. Small spoilers for The Last Olympian. Don't read if you haven't read that.


**A.N-I kind of got this idea when I finished _The Last Olympian, _where Luke dies and Artemis is glaring at Hades, making sure her hunters are going to receive Elysium. My A.N has small spoilers, and maybe the story, so DO NOT READ UNTIL YOU HAVE READ _THE LAST OLYMPIAN!!!_** **Alright, I'm done. To the story!**

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I had just stabbed myself, in the one spot where I was still vulnerable. I could feel Kronos slipping away from me, freeing me of his dark essence. But I could also feel the pain. Oh, the agony! But I knew it was a small sacrifice for the fate of the world.

I collapsed on the floor, panting and holding my left side in pain. It was bloody, I could feel the slippery liquid that kept me alive seeping out of the wound. I managed to croak out,

"Good...blade."

Percy knelt next to me. Annabeth limped over with Grover's support. They both had tears in their eyes.

I gazed at Annabeth. "You knew. I almost killed you, but you knew..."

"Shhh." Her voice trembled. "You were a hero in the end, Luke. You'll go to Elysium." I shooke my head. I wasn't sure, but I said, "Think...rebirth. Try for three times. Isles of the Blest."

Annabeth sniffled. "You always pushed yourself too hard."

I held up my hand. I could see it was charred. Annabeth touched my fingertips.

"Did you..." I tried to say, but coughed and I could feel the blood on my lips. "Did you love me?"

Annabeth wiped her tears away. "There was a time I thought...well, I thought..." She looked up at Percy, like she remembered he was still here. He seemed to be too, and realized it.

"You were like a brother to me, Luke," she said softly. "But I didn't love you."

I nodded, I had expected it. She was like a little sister to me, and I loved her more than my actual sisters. Wait. What about my father? I hope he realizes that, now, in the end, I realized that he did, does, love me and my siblings, and that he didn't, couldn't, tell me about my fate, because I needed to decide for my own.

"We can get ambrosia," Grover said. "We can-"

"Grover," I gulped. "You're the bravest satyr I ever knew. But no. There's no healing..." I coughed again.

I gripped Percy's sleeve, I needed to tell him. This is what started the war, I couldn't let it happen again, not without trying to stop it.

"Ethan. Me. All the unclaimed. Don't let it...Don't let it happen again." I was angry, but pleading, and I knew Percy could see it in my eyes.

"I won't," he said. "I promise." I nodded, and then drifted off on my journey to the Underworld, where Hades would decide my fate. But not before hearing the gods thundering into the room, and Poseidon ask his son 'what is this' and Percy answered by saying,

"We need a shroud. A shroud for the son of Hermes."

The Fates even let me hear and feel my father. He said 'Wait' and I felt the pressure of his lips on my forehead and heard the final blessing, in Ancient Greek, of course.

.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................  
In the Underworld in line for Elysium...

Amazingly, Annabeth was right. I _was _going to receive Elysium. There was quite a long line, and for that I was guilty. I had helped Hades' domain grow bigger so fast, had helped fill up Elysium. I wish there was a way to reverse it.

Most of the spirits in line were those that had died in the war, so when they saw me, surprise (and outrage) was written all over their faces. The Hunters of Artemis regarded me coldly, and the campers who had died turned away in disgust. Except for one.

"You!" I looked up to see Silena Beauregard and felt guilty all over again. Her once beautiful features were burned badly from something. The only thing I could think of was the drakon.

She stormed over to me, her face looking livid.

"You!" She cried again. "You promised you wouldn't hurt Charlie! And he died! How is that not hurting?!" She was in my face, and then started crying. Then she kneed me in the gut. Hard.

If I had been vulnerable and not dead, it would have hurt. A lot.

When Silena saw it didn't hurt me like she had planned, she screamed in frustration and ran off back to her place in line. Those in front of me let her pass, eyeing me coldly.

"You deserve it. But then again, so did I." I turned and saw Ethan Nakamura, son of Nemesis. His eye patch was still on, and he was glaring, but I could tell he hated himself with the same amount of hate.

"Kronos is gone. I don't know where he is, but he's gone. Olympus is saved," I told him. He nodded, and then we turned and paid attention to the process of getting into Elysium. The first to go was a Hunter of Artemis. To my (and the others', I'm sure) surprise, Hades himself was giving them entry. Wow. The hunter kneeled at his feet and Hades put a hand on her head and said,

"Maria Laurence, daughter of Hecate, Huntress of Artemis, you have died a hero's death. Receive Elysium." She rose and stepped into the black. Then was some other Hunters, but I paid attention to the campers.

"Michael Yew, son of Apollo, you have died a hero's death. Receive Elysium." Who? I had never heard of him. Must have come after I...left.

"Silena Beauregard, daughter of Aphrodite, you have died a hero's death. Receive Elysium." There were a few more: a few sons of Ares, two daughters of Demeter, two more Hunters, three sons and a daughter of Athena. Finally, it was Ethan's turn. He kneeled at Hades' feet and the god of the Underworld placed a hand of his head and uttered the words,

"Ethan Nakamura, son of Nemesis, you have died a hero's death. Receive-" He was cut off by a yell of

"Hades!" He turned, a look of pure hatred and annoyance clearly written on his face. Ethan turned and his jaw dropped. I turned too, and saw a goddess running toward Hades. She had brown hair and hazel eyes, a pale complexion, and a tall but slim body. I didn't know her, but I was surprised when Ethan got up and kneeled again, this time in front of the woman. There was a look of pure awe on his face as he said,

"Mother." With a start, I realized this was Ethan's mother, Nemesis, goddess of revenge. Though he always insisted that she stood for balance.

Nemesis looked at her son and put her hand under his chin, raising him up. He stood before her, clearly amazed. Ethan's mother put a hand on her son's eye patch and murmmered something in Ancient Greek. Then she gently took the patch off, and I was shocked to see that Ethan now had two brown **(A.N-sorry, I don't know what eye color he has) **eyes instead of one. Nemesis stood back from her son and said softly,

"I am no better than those Olympians. I did not keep my promise. How can you tip the scales of balance if you are dead? Now I give you back what I took. You have had to much bad luck. Now I give you some good luck. Enjoy Elysium, my son." And then she disovled in a black smoke.

Ethan stood there for what seem like an eternity. Then, somewhat still in a daze, he walked back to Hades and kneeled for the third time today, muttering an apology. Hades rolled his eyes, but repeated what he had started to say.

Then it was my turn.

I kneeled before Hades, and felt the god's hand on my head. And as he said the words that would take me into Elysium, I began to think that the gods weren't so bad, after all.


End file.
